Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) will initiate discussions with political parties and stakeholders starting November 13, as announced by EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. The main objective of these discussions is to address changes to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) and the electoral code of conduct for political parties and candidates, as well as to encourage cooperation for conducting a free and fair election.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Akhtar Ahmed informed journalists at Nirbachan Bhaban that the dialogue is set to commence on November 13. However, details regarding which parties will be invited are yet to be finalized and will be decided after further deliberations. He mentioned that the gazette of the revised code of conduct was published the previous night, allowing preparations for the dialogue to move forward.
Ahmed emphasized that the dialogue would not have been meaningful without the code of conduct. With its publication, the EC is now ready to engage with registered political parties and is hopeful that they will respond positively to the invitation. The media will be updated in due course regarding the parties invited to participate in the dialogue.
The Election Commission has also conducted a series of meetings with various stakeholders, including media professionals, election experts, women leaders, educationists, and civil society representatives. According to EC sources, the insights and suggestions gathered during these meetings were instrumental in finalizing the electoral code of conduct.